Many businesses in the United States are now becoming veteran-friendly when it comes to hiring. It is only natural to want to support the brave men and women who have given up so much to preserve the American way of life. But despite your best efforts, you may not be seeing the results you want from your veteran recruiting process. This can be the result of several factors, but the root cause is often the same.
Many in-house recruiters are simply not attune to veteran candidates. Therefore, their approach, from the initial job descriptions to interviews to onboarding, is not refined enough to attract the right veteran talent. This may very well mean you are missing out on top-tier candidates that may add immense value to your business and workplace. There are many ways to improve your veteran hiring, such as supplementing your efforts with an experienced veteran staffing agency. One of the first things you will need to improve is how you craft job descriptions for open roles. This blog will show you how.
Why Is the Job Description So Important?
In any hiring scenario, the job description is a very important piece of information. It is meant to explain the role and its accompanying responsibilities. At the same time, it should offer something appealing that might encourage the right types of candidates to apply. It also discourages candidates not relevant to the role from clogging up the process. If you need an IT security engineer, you’d be wasting time on candidates who snuck into your tech talent pipeline with an art degree.
Certain roles can be learned on the job, but many technical roles are far more complex. A bad hire in key roles can turn out to be disastrous and expensive. Therefore, hiring managers and recruiters have to put in a lot of thought and work into creating the right job description for a role. It e eliminates less suitable candidates and attracts the ones who may be the right fit. However, your job descriptions are likely not catered to candidates with extensive military experience. To prevent excluding a valuable segment of the workforce, here are a few improvements to consider:
Be as Clear as Possible About the Role
Employers hesitate to hire vets usually because the candidates they are used to are very different from a veteran candidate. You may have heard your recruiters discuss how military vets struggle with terms that are commonplace in your industry or business. That doesn’t necessarily imply a lack of skill or ability, simply a lack of familiarity. In other words, instead of injecting complex jargon and catchphrases into a job description, try opting for a clearer message. One that can describe the role, requirements, and other relevant information as simply as possible. This will minimize any confusion later on in the hiring process.
Demonstrate a Veteran-Friendly Atmosphere
Many employers these days claim to be open to hiring veteran workers. But fewer businesses seem veteran-friendly when it comes to recruitment. However, this can simply be a matter of perception. You may indeed be a veteran-friendly employer, and all you need to do is highlight your commitment. For example, an employer that is open to hiring military spouses should use that as part of the job description. Similarly, in a business with a work culture that celebrates American bravery and patriotism, a veteran will feel a lot more welcome. Be sure to market specifics about how you’re veteran-friendly to attract the right kind of motivated talent.
Serve Up Previous Military Programs or Contracts
Speaking of demonstrating your commitment, you don’t just have to rely on veterans trusting your words. You can back it up using any connections your business may have to the military. Whether you’re a defense contractor or supply food to your local Air Force base, veterans will always value an employer that has some history with a military or government body. Leveraging your past and current connections with any military programs or contracts can be a unique addition to the employer value proposition.